Abstract

Private governance schemes have become a default response for regulating governance gaps, situations in which government actors are neither able nor willing to provide basic human rights for their citizens. Particularly in moments of crisis, the collaboration of private actors often presents the only viable option for addressing immanent human rights risks.

Whether private governance schemes are successful at addressing governance gaps hinges on their legitimacy, their perceived credibility and effectiveness. In this paper, we analyze the legitimacy of two private governance schemes that formed after the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2014. Both initiatives share a common objective, namely to make the Bangladesh garment industry safe and sustainable for workers in the garment sector. We apply a theoretical legitimacy framework by Mena & Palazzo (2012) and conclude that both private initiatives suffer from major legitimacy deficits. Based on our findings, we derive suggestions for a comprehensive industry transformation in Bangladesh.

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